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eXistenZ

  • 19991999
  • K-16K-16
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
101K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,405
502
Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
Trailer for eXistenZ
Play trailer2:01
1 Video
99+ Photos
HorrorMysterySci-Fi

A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.

IMDb RATING
6.8/10
101K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,405
502
  • Director
    • David Cronenberg
  • Writer
    • David Cronenberg
  • Stars
    • Jude Law
    • Jennifer Jason Leigh
    • Ian Holm
Top credits
  • Director
    • David Cronenberg
  • Writer
    • David Cronenberg
  • Stars
    • Jude Law
    • Jennifer Jason Leigh
    • Ian Holm
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 575User reviews
    • 190Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 14 nominations

    Videos1

    eXistenZ
    Trailer 2:01
    eXistenZ

    Photos140

    Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jude Law in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jude Law in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
    Jude Law in eXistenZ (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jude Law
    Jude Law
    • Ted Pikul
    Jennifer Jason Leigh
    Jennifer Jason Leigh
    • Allegra Geller
    Ian Holm
    Ian Holm
    • Kiri Vinokur
    Willem Dafoe
    Willem Dafoe
    • Gas
    Don McKellar
    Don McKellar
    • Yevgeny Nourish
    Callum Keith Rennie
    Callum Keith Rennie
    • Hugo Carlaw
    Christopher Eccleston
    Christopher Eccleston
    • Seminar Leader
    Sarah Polley
    Sarah Polley
    • Merle
    Robert A. Silverman
    Robert A. Silverman
    • D'Arcy Nader
    Oscar Hsu
    Oscar Hsu
    • Chinese Waiter
    Kris Lemche
    Kris Lemche
    • Noel Dichter
    Vik Sahay
    Vik Sahay
    • Male Assistant
    Kirsten Johnson
    Kirsten Johnson
    • Female Assistant
    James Kirchner
    • Landry
    Balázs Koós
    • Male Volunteer
    Stephanie Belding
    Stephanie Belding
    • Female Volunteer
    Gerry Quigley
    • Trout Farm Worker
    • Director
      • David Cronenberg
    • Writer
      • David Cronenberg
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jennifer Jason Leigh had already finished shooting her role in Eyes Wide Shut (1999) when she took on this role. When her scenes in that movie required re-shooting, the schedule required for it interfered with this one. Leigh chose to stay on this movie, and her role in Eyes Wide Shut (1999) was re-cast.
    • Goofs
      The first time we see Ted Pikul at the trout farm, he labels an envelope with the letters LA. The L is clearly connected to the A. However in the next shot with the envelope on the conveyor belt the L and A are no longer connected.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Chinese Waiter: Hey, tell me the truth... are we still in the game?

    • Alternate versions
      Canadian distributor Alliance Atlantis removed some graphic violence from the Ontario version of the film in a failed attempt to lower the Restricted rating to Adult Accompaniment.
    • Connections
      Edited into The History of the Hands (2016)

    User reviews575

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Where do we come from? From virtual reality, sure.
    David Cronenberg is doubtlessly one of the greatest directors alive and in activity (along with Lynch, Kiarostami, Kitano, Moretti, Oliveira, Rohmer, etc). Having seen almost all of his films (excluding "Dead Zone", "The Fly" and "M.Butterfly"), I have this somewhat rare opinion that "eXistenZ" is one of his masterpieces. It seems to me that this film was hugely misunderstood, culminating with the stupid idea of comparing this film to "Matrix", a rather worthless and meaningless piece of nonsense. Here in "eXistenZ", we have instead a very dense and deep meditation on the mystery of reality, of our inability to apprehend where do things come from. The characters appear and disappear as if moved by some mysterious agent, which remains inhapreenshible. Being Cronenberg a professed atheist, we can only arrive at the conclusion that each world which is presented to us and to the main characters comes from their own mind, which, nevertheless, only constitutes a part of the human body (it is now hazard that the characters have access to the game by means of something - a game pod - which is implanted into their bodies). Cronenberg stated many years ago that all reality is virtual; so, in this film, the use of the plot-device of virtual reality is a huge metaphor to the virtually of reality, as our director sees it.
    helpful•63
    57
    • dfpm
    • Aug 25, 2004

    FAQ1

    • Why have I never even heard of this film, much less seen it until today - March 21 2021?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 14, 1999 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • United Kingdom
      • France
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Existenz
    • Filming locations
      • Rockwood Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Dimension Films
      • Alliance Atlantis Communications
      • Canadian Television Fund
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,856,712
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $810,262
      • Apr 25, 1999
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,856,712
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital

    Related news

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    Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
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    By what name was eXistenZ (1999) officially released in India in English?
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